submitted by Cherry Family Dentistry
Do you have teeth that are missing? Have you ever thought about replacing them or wondered how to do so? Most importantly, why do I need to replace them? Well, we know that if you have teeth extracted (pulled) and don’t replace them, it can have negative effects on your dentition.
One of the most important reasons you would want to replace your missing teeth is that once you remove a tooth, your adjacent teeth will begin to shift and drift into that new space. This will cause your whole bite to shift. Missing teeth can cause problems with chewing and also can cause problems with your TMJ (temporomandibular joint). It can cause periodontal (gum) disease because it will be much harder to clean around these areas. One big problem that people don’t think about is that losing a tooth will cause your jawbone to deteriorate and cause a sinking appearance in your jaw. Therefore, it is very important when you lose a tooth to replace it.
Now that we have established that you need to replace missing teeth, how do we go about doing that? Well you have several options; here is a list of a few.
Dental implant – A dental implant is placed in the jawbone, which then will fuse with your bone and will then be a very strong and stable foundation to replace your tooth. We will then place a crown on the top of the implant and once again, you can eat, smile and talk normally.
Bridge – Bridges are two or more crowns that are adjacent to the space with a false tooth in the middle. This helps to stabilize your bite and help to distribute the chewing forces so you do not break the other teeth and prevent further problems. Once again you can eat, smile and talk normally.
Partial dentures – These are false teeth that can come in and out and are made with clasps to hook around the adjacent teeth to stabilize the partial.
All three of these options will work to replace your missing teeth. If you have missing teeth, call us today at 270-842-5300 for a free consult, and we will show you how to replace those missing teeth and be on your way to a healthy smile again.